All athletes, some barefoot, others in sneakers, have sticks that click together to the beat of the drums. The 50-strong teams begin to pass each other in single file. They click their sticks together instead of shaking hands. This is an ancient ceremony, which has been going on for centuries long before American players played basketball, football, or baseball. The ceremonial grand entrance is completed by 30 players of each team who remain on the field while the rest leave for the sidelines. The referee stands in the middle of each team and throws up an orange ball. And then it’s chaos! The World Series of Stickball is an annual event that takes place near Philadelphia as part of Choctaw Indian Fair. As the P.A. The announcer at the P.A. At each end is a pole measuring 12 feet in height and 4 inches wide. These are the goals. The sticks are made from hickory and have a woven cup at the other end. Players use these cups to move the small orange ball down the field, eventually touching the goals. Each team must know that it protects its position as if it were their child. It is most similar to lacrosse, which evolved from stickball. In that contact is permitted and collisions are common, it is very similar to American football. It is similar to basketball in the fact that it does not require any protective equipment, other than an optional mouthpiece. Similar to baseball, there’s a stick. Similar to soccer, you cannot touch the ball with your hands. Similar to other sports, you need to have good hand-eye coordination to catch the ball using the sticks. In that players are passionate, the World Series of Stickball is very similar to the World Cup of Soccer. Stickball is not about fame and fortune. There is no Major League. There are no guaranteed multi-million dollar contracts and certainly no signing bonuses. Thomas Ben, 47-year-old Commissioner of World Series of Stickball says, “There’s not money in it, and not much publicity.” It’s about the love of the sport and bragging rights. Ben is a former player who calls stickball “the granddaddy” of all American sports. We take great pride in this traditional game. Stickball was first recorded in the mid-17th century. However, there are evidence that the sport was practiced long before then. Many tribes of Native Americans played stickball. Early “fields” could have been miles and miles in length. One game might see 100 or 1,000 players at once. Sometimes, the games lasted for several days and were used to settle disputes between tribes. It’s better to have a game than a war. However, major injuries and even death occurred during these games. Ben, the commissioner says that “stickball has made great strides.” It is safer than ever. Although it can be brutal, it is still fun. The World Series includes the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and other tribes from Mississippi, as well as Oklahoma. There are different divisions available for women, men, and youth. Fighting during games is strictly prohibited. You will be kicked out of the tournament if you use your stick as a weapon. Ben says, “The sport demands speed, endurance and agility as well as strength and toughness.” The field is surrounded by paramedics who watch and are available on-call at the one end. One of the paramedics is Jeremy Pogue. He says he’s treated players with broken bones and lacerations, pulled muscles, and muscle strains. He says, “Knock on wood, no major injuries this year.” He should have worked harder. He witnessed two games for teens and one for men. Both games were intensely contested, and both ended in low scoring. The game for teens ended in “sudden death” overtime with Cohen Keats, 15, scoring the winning goal. Keats claims he learned the game from Cohen Keats, his father. Stickball is clearly a family game that has been passed down through generations. It’s a game I love. Afterward, Keats stated that she just loved it. “I love getting hit because it makes me feel adrenaline pumping. Sometimes it feels great to be hit. The second game, which featured the two men’s teams who won the 2016 and 2017 World Series championships was delayed by 20 minutes as paramedics treated Mario Chickaway (28 years old) for a fractured femur (thighbone). Chickaway was apparently tackled from behind after catching a ball with his sticks. Officials stated that the injury was caused by a “perfectly legal” hit. The ambulance left the field and the Pearl River team defeated Koni Hata’s team 2-1. They will now play in Saturday’s World Series championship game. It was Wes Wallace’s fifth game in just two weeks. He is a 39-year old Pearl River player. There are two types of people: those who play tennis for a hobby and those who play golf. He also plays stickball. He works as a construction manager when he’s not playing stickball. He graduated from Mississippi State with an industrial technology degree and has been playing stickball since he was 20 years old. He says, “It can be quite rough out there, however, I just enjoy it.” It’s a great way for me to get my energy out.” Maybe. He will believe this writer. View a slideshow featuring photos from the Stickball World Series by Eric J. Shelton.